From left, Marilyn Abalos, Dr. Angie Cruz and Loida Nicolas Lewis of Fil Ams for Hillary at the Javits Convention Center in New York on Election Night.

Special to the Filipino Reporter

You may write me down in history, with your bitter, twisted lies, you may trodd me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

Citing from Angelou Maya’s poem “Still I Rise,” Loida Nicolas Lewis offered these words of comfort, encouragement and appreciation to Fil-Am supporters at the outcome of Donald Trump winning the presidential election.

“Thank you for all those who supported Hillary Clinton, donated, worked hard and voted for her,” said Lewis, East Coast Chair of Fil Ams for Hillary.

“Heartbroken, we shall not despair because she gives us courage to do when others tell us we cannot do.”

Donald J.Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States on Wednesday to the shock and surprise of Filipino Americans for Hillary, Democrats and supporters of Hillary Clinton.

Scores of Fil-Ams joined tens of thousands at the Javits Convention Center on Election Night in New York to watch grimly as Trump gained the seat at the White House.

It began as an evening of hope and anticipation which slowly turned into a painful watch as state by state went over to Trump.

Social media was ablaze with disbelief and dread.

“I have never supported that hard a presidential candidate in my 40 years in America. I felt numbed and am still in shock by the unexpected results,” said Juliet Payabyab, FA4H Queens Team Leader.

Fil Ams for Hillary stayed through the late hour until the campaign sent the people home.

Stunned, it was a surreal exodus of thousands from the complex on the West Side of Manhattan.

By the time people arrived to the warm comfort of their homes, Trump was on TV at the Hilton Hotel speaking to his supporters and the American people.

Hillary Clinton had called him to concede.

He offered unusually warm words for Secretary Clinton congratulating her for a very hard fight and saying she was owed “a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.”

Trump declared overnight that he would work even with people who had opposed him in the campaign, and he pledged to bring the country together.

“Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division,” he said.

“It is time for us to come together as one united people. It’s time. It’s so important to me.”

There were calls by Fil-Am leaders to stay close to the issues and remain vigilant in protecting the rights of the people.

“Yes, we were shocked and saddened with the outcome of the election,” said Maria Castaneda, SEIU 1199 Secretary Treasurer, United Health Care Workers East.

“But we cannot stay in that feeling or state of mind. We know the issues we were fighting for with Hillary. Immigrant justice, women’s rights, economic, environment justice to name a few. We have to stay organized, vigilant and hold President-elect Trump accountable on the issues we care about as Filipinos-Americans.”

“It is critical that our community must step up, and show up, not just for ourselves but for others, so that our needs and priorities are represented. And not just every four years, but every day. Democracy must be our duty and not a chore,” said Aries Dela Cruz, President, Filipino American Democratic Club NY.

On Wednesday in New York, Clinton publicly conceded the election to President-elect Trump admitting the pain of the defeat.

“This is painful, and it will be for a long time,” she said.

She also expressed regret that she did not shatter the glass ceiling, but said, “Someday, someone will, and hopefully sooner than we might think right now.”

She called on her supporters to accept that he would be president and give him a chance to lead with an open mind.

She hoped that he would be “a successful president for all Americans,” and that she respected and cherished the peaceful transition of power.

She thanked her supporters in her concession speech, and said that she felt pride in the campaign she ran.

Melissa Ramoso, Chair of Fil Ams for Hillary, said, “Kababayans, we will wake up tomorrow to a day we thought we’d never face. But know this — we worked our hardest from every single state that had large populations of Filipino-Americans. We should be extremely proud of what we accomplished — targeted phone banks, precinct and business walks. We showed Hillary that we were the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) contingency to support her at the AAPI for Hillary kick-off. It was also simply amazing to see how we broke record numbers of DNC delegates at our national convention. We had hundreds of media hits just on Filipino-Americans who support Hillary alone. We should be proud. This bayanihan spirit will continue for years to come and we will carry it into our own local communities to empower more Filipino-Americans. Our work is not done. The best is yet to come.”

Brad Baldia of Fil Ams for Hillary Pennsylvania and Anna Perng of AAPI Pennsylvania (far left, front row) at the Javits Convention Center in New York.